


Left Behind

by usa123



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Gen, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-16 21:03:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9289475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usa123/pseuds/usa123
Summary: Leaving Wyatt was their only option. It was their only chance to save Lucy and stop Flynn."But we need you too!" Rufus protested.Wyatt just fixed the pilot with a half-grin. "You'll come back for me, I know it."Tag to "The Capture of Benedict Arnold". No slash, no ships.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: If you don't want to read my research into the timeline of this fic, you can skip ahead to the story...you're still here? Okay. The real life David Rittenhouse lived in East Norriton Township, which is roughly 100 miles from Manhattan and 150 miles from West Point, New York, both places mentioned while discussing where the Mothership landed. With a team of horses averaging 10 mph, it would have taken the Time Team 10-15 hours to get from Benedict Arnold's house (which is far enough from West Point that it would take a significant amount of time to travel there, thus being a valid excuse for Arnold's absence that morning) to Rittenhouse's house. However, in order for the Time Team to have met with Washington over breakfast, defected, travelled to Arnold's house then arrived in Pennsylvania at a decent hour, in which the young son is still awake, the trip can't have taken more than 10-11 hours. So, while that might break reality, that's the only length of trip that makes sense in the episode. Therefore, I will say it will take ten hours for Rufus and Wyatt to get back to the Lifeboat after Flynn leaves with Lucy.
> 
> A/N 2: I own nothing. Please don't sue.

  _1780_

Both Rufus and Wyatt stared at the space where the Mothership had been in a stunned silence. It was only when Wyatt heard horses' hooves rapidly approaching that he grabbed Rufus' arm and took off in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately his move was too little too late as they were quickly surrounded by a battalion of men, all of whom were training rifles at them.

Rufus saw Wyatt scan the men once…twice…each time looking slightly more and more desperate but even he, in his lack of Delta Force training, could see that they didn't have any options here, not if they wanted to survive.

As two of the men dismounted their horses, Rufus shrugged closer to Wyatt and elbowed him in the back. "Don't," he mumbled.

"We can't leave Lucy," Wyatt immediately shot back without looking over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the two approaching men.

"We aren't. But this right now is a suicide play."

"Quit talking!" One of the men still on a horse yelled, shoving the butt of the rifle deeper into his shoulder and taking a preventative aim.

Wyatt must have realized the truth behind Rufus' words for he just nodded, slouched slightly to take off his defensive edge, and put his hands up.

"Where's the girl and the other man?" the man with the rifle demanded.

"Gone," Rufus quickly answered.

The man cocked his rifle and inched closer with his horse. "Don't you lie to me, boy."

"He's not," Wyatt said, taking a step forward and putting himself between the men and Rufus. "They took our horses, left us stranded."

The man with the rifle stared at Wyatt for a long time, his finger never leaving the trigger of his rifle. After what seemed like ages, he turned back to the rest of the men. "You four, search the area," he ordered the group on his left. "Let's see if these two are telling the truth."

"Yes Hallett," one of the men said before he and three others nudged their horses and headed off in four opposite directions, rifles at the ready and lanterns dangling from their pummels.

"Jacobsen, Alcott, secure the prisoners. I think Bartholomew will want a word with them," Hallett continued.

Two men on the ground responded by walking back to their horses and pulling thick cords from their saddlebags.

Wyatt tensed but Rufus again kicked out, reminding the soldier to stand down.

The two time travellers were quickly bound and led at gunpoint back to the home where Rittenhouse had been killed. Jacobsen and the unnamed fourth man peeled off at the front gate while Hallett and Alcott escorted Rufus and Wyatt into a side room, pushed them into chairs, then secured them to the sturdy wood frames.

Hallett then stood at the doorway, the rifle trained on the two of them, while Alcott disappeared into the hallway. Moments later, a tall man of medium age wearing a period-appropriate white wig walked in. After quickly conversed with Hallett, who nodded then left the room, the middle-aged man turned back to Wyatt and Rufus, a sadistic grin on his face.

"I take it you're Bartholomew," Wyatt stated before the other man could speak.

Rufus couldn't help but cringe at Wyatt's accusatory tone, fearing it would do more harm than good, but the middle-aged man didn't seem to care. "Yes I am," he replied, almost casually. "And David Rittenhouse was a dear friend of mine. So you'll excuse me if I get right down the point." In a split second, Bartholomew had unholstered a pistol previously hidden from view and pointed it at both of them in turn. "Which one of you killed Rittenhouse?" he growled.

Rufus shot Wyatt a quick glance but the soldier didn't look over. His own expression blank, the soldier licked his lips before replying, "Our friend. The one you can't find. He did it."

"I don't believe you." Without warning, Bartholomew flipped his pistol around and belted Rufus across the cheek.

The pilot's vision exploded into bright fireworks as a copper tang invaded his mouth. When he came back to his senses sometime later, he saw Bartholomew staring at him curiously. Then he looked over at Wyatt, saw the new set to his friend's posture and knew what had happened.

"You didn't," he hissed around a mouthful of blood.

Wyatt didn't look away from the man standing in front of him. "He had nothing to do with it," the soldier said. "Let him go."

"He was there. He's as good as guilty."

"Too bad you don't know about the presumption of innocence."

Bartholomew stepped closer, his pistol raised again. "The what?"

Suddenly Wyatt was on his feet, doubled over because he was still attached to the chair. He swung around sharply, sending the heavy wooden chair crashing into Bartholomew and both of them tumbling to the ground.

There was shouting in the hallway and Rufus tugged again on his bonds, desperately trying to loosen them, but with the same result as earlier: the knots were too tight for him to free himself.

Across the room, Wyatt rolled to his knees, his one arm completely free of the chair, the other still attached to a wooden arm, reared back and punched Bartholomew in the jaw. As the man's eyes rolled back into his head, Wyatt sprang to his feet then pressed himself against the door next to its hinges, so he'd be hidden to anyone who entered. He shifted the block of wood dangling from his left wrist into his hand, then put a finger to his lips to signal for Rufus to be quiet.

Rufus nodded and sat back in his chair, trying to look relaxed despite his heart's attempt to beat itself out of his chest. He needed to be at ease though, to not set off the men before Wyatt could ambush them.

Just as he'd taken his first deep breath, the door flew open and Hallett and Alcott burst through, guns actively scanning the room.

Rufus saw Alcott's gaze land on Bartholomew's body and his mouth open to call for help but, before he could signal Wyatt, the soldier had already kicked at the door, sending it swinging around and crashing into Hallett, who had the misfortune of being closest. As he went down, Wyatt hurdled over him and tackled Alcott, bringing him to the ground in a move which wouldn't be invented for another hundred and fifty years. Alcott's head cracked against the ground so loudly Rufus grit his teeth but Wyatt was already moving again, grabbing one of the fallen rifles and driving the grip into the Hallett's cheek.

Then he hurried over to Rufus, produced a very modern pocketknife from his pocket and cut his friend free.

"You okay?" he asked, motioning to the seeping wound on his pilot's cheek.

"I'm going to have a helluva headache tomorrow but I think I'm alright," Rufus replied, gingerly touching the area around the laceration. He honestly thought that would be the end of the conversation and was therefore surprised by Wyatt's hand was on his cheek, his calloused fingers pulling the lids of the pilot's right eye apart so he could watch his pupil react to the light.

"I don't think you have a concussion," Wyatt concluded after a moment, "but the lighting in here's pretty bad."

"I'll live. Let's just get out of here."

Wyatt nodded approvingly then handed the pilot the second rifle before they pressed themselves against the wall by the door, silently waiting for more men to arrive. When they heard only silence, Wyatt shuffled left and cautiously poked his head into the hallway.

"Too exposed," he whispered, shaking his head then silently crossed the room and peering out of the window. He must have liked what he saw for he motioned for Rufus to follow. After cracking the window open, he covered Rufus while the pilot climbed through the window, barely managing to keep from knocking his head on the butt of the rifle as he dropped gracelessly to the ground.

Seconds later, Wyatt landed lithely beside him, on the balls of his feet, having barely made a sound.

"Seriously?" Rufus groaned. Wyatt actually grinned before raising his rifle and leading the way down the small side street.

When they got to the main road, Wyatt slipped the rifle's strap over his shoulder and slid the gun onto his back. "Look casual. Like you belong," he instructed as he tugged on his shirt, straightening it out slightly.

"That's your big plan?" Rufus gaped as he did the same.

"It precedes getting to the time machine, poof-ing back to the present and finding Lucy," Wyatt retorted. "But I thought we'd focus on one thing at a time."

Rufus tipped his head in concession. "Fair enough. The Lifeboat's back in New York so we—"

He was cut off by Wyatt grabbing the back of his jacket and shoving him to the ground. The soldier's weight was partially on him, pinning him to the ground somewhat but not suffocating him. He knew better than to draw attention to their position by vocalizing his discomfort and just focused on regulating his breathing as he heard a group of men on horseback ride by.

Finally, a few agonizing minutes later, Wyatt hissed, "we're clear," and pulled himself off of his teammate.

"Who was that?" Rufus gasped, bringing much missed air into his lungs.

"Jacobsen and the rest of the posse."

Wyatt pushed Rufus behind him then pressed himself against the wall and peered around the corner.

"You wait here," he said before sprinting out of sight. Caught by surprise, it took Rufus a moment to comprehend what had happened before he too stood flat against the wall and looked out onto the street.

The soldier was nowhere in sight.

Rufus was aware of every beat of his heart, every second that passed until he heard hoofs pounding and saw a horse-drawn wagon turn the corner, driven by Wyatt. The team slowed by the alleyway just long enough for Rufus to climb in beside the soldier.

"Where did you learn to drive?" he panted as Wyatt flicked the reins and the horses canted forward.

"Jessica loved horses," Wyatt said softly.

Rufus didn't press for details.

* * *

Fortunately there wasn't much to navigating their way back to Benedict Arnold's house as they had only taken one road from there to Rittenhousetown. Even with the breaks and waterings that were taken for the horses, Wyatt managed to get them back in under eleven hours. Unlike modern day travel, where Rufus would have fallen asleep during a trip of that length, he was forced to stay awake as the lookout, rifle straddled in his lap so easily he couldn't help feeling like a cowboy in one of those old films.

By the time they were skirting the Patriot settlement, both of them had been up for more than twenty four hours and, without a caffeine intake, Rufus was feeling every one of them, especially as his stomach rumbled for the third time that hour.

"The Lifeboat isn't far now," Wyatt responded to Rufus' unasked question, pointing off to his right. "Maybe a mile. Are you okay to walk that?"

He waited until Rufus nodded before continuing, "You stay here. I'll drop the horses off at the nearest house or stable then meet you back here. We'll go the last distance together."

Rufus shrugged off the sacks he and Wyatt had slung around themselves last night to keep warm and hopped off the wagon...or, more appropriately, he tried to. His legs, not used to being stuck at right angles for so long, were slow to react to his brain's orders. It took some maneuvering but he did manage to finally get down from the wagon and leaning against a tree as feeling began to flow back into his limbs.

"Here." Rufus glanced up to see Wyatt holding out the second rifle. He tucked it against his body, barrel pointed at the ground, then began raking his knuckles up and down his quads to accelerate the blood flow in his legs.

"Be back soon," Wyatt said before clicking the reins and driving off.

As much as Rufus hated just waiting, he knew it was the right call. Wyatt had familiarity with horses and could drop them off (however one did that) and get back here in a much faster time on his own. While Rufus waited, he tried to force some life back into his leaded legs by bending down and standing up quickly or stretching like he'd seen people do in sports movies his brother loved. Unfortunately, most of those only seemed to hurt his unresponsive muscles more.

Before he could do any serious damage, he heard someone approaching at a run and ducked behind the trees, rifle out and aimed in one fluid motion.

"Run, Rufus!" he heard Wyatt shout and, without a second thought, he took off in the direction Wyatt had indicated earlier.

As soon as he did, he heard the sound of many hooves and people shouting.

"What the hell is going on?" he shouted over his shoulder as he forced his aching legs into a higher gear.

"Let's just say the Patriots are well aware we defected," Wyatt shouted, coming up alongside Rufus. The pilot heard an excess jingle and spared a quick glance to see Wyatt had acquired an old-fashioned pistol, which was tucked in his belt next to his modern-era Glock. As the hooves came closer, Wyatt pulled out his Glock, twisted to the side and fired.

Someone cried out but the pounding hooves kept getting closer, unfazed.

"New plan," Wyatt panted, drawing the old-fashioned gun with his left hand. "You get to the Lifeboat. I'll cover you."

"I'm not leaving you!" Rufus gasped out as they wove off the path and into the treeline.

"You don't have a choice. You have to stop Flynn before he changes history irreparably. You need Lucy to do that."

"We need you too!"

"You'll come back for me, I know it." With a half-grin, Wyatt shoved Rufus to his left and then ducked down behind some bushes, using the barrels of the guns to clear port holes in the shrubbery.

"Lucy will kill me—"

Wyatt looked over, his expression deadly serious. "If you don't go right now, we both die and Flynn wins."

It physically hurt every fiber of Rufus's being to run away, to leave Wyatt. But he did.

He had just reached the edge of the clearing where the Lifeboat was parked when the gunfire began. Horrified, pained screams resonated through the empty woods, and Rufus begged, _prayed_ to whoever was up there they weren't Wyatt's.

When he was finally sitting in the pilot's seat, his hands were shaking so badly he could barely power it up. But years of training and thousands of practice sessions got him through it and, as he flipped the last switch, his last thought was only that he hoped this was the right decision before he felt a familiar tug behind his navel and he was hurtling toward the future.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written before I saw the new episode so this chapter is spoiler free (and officially Kripe'd). I am however ecstatic the four hour wait is officially canon.

 

_Present time_

What seemed like seconds later, Rufus was back in Mason Industries.

Fighting through the vertigo, he powered down the Lifeboat then stumbled out of the door, subsequently tripping over the high bottom door jamb and sprawling gracelessly on the grated walkway. As he forced himself to his hands and knees, he caught a whiff of a familiar perfume and looked over to see Jiya kneeling beside him, her face etched with concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Fine," Rufus gasped, one hand rubbing at his aching sternum. "Where's Flynn?"

"He jumped straight to April 7th, 1732 without coming home: perks of their nuclear reactor and all."

"Where are Wyatt and Lucy?" Agent Christopher interjected, pushing her way through the crowd of the support staff who were gathered around the door of the Lifeboat, waiting for the rest of the Time Team to exit.

Rufus grabbed at the nearby railing and hauled himself to his feet. "Flynn took Lucy," he reported, straightening up to his full height. "We're going back for Wyatt after we stop Flynn."

"You left Wyatt?" someone in the background questioned and Rufus felt his stomach clench painfully.

"Not willingly. It was our only option." Then he paused. "Wait, you don't know about that? What happened on September 25st, 1780?"

"Benedict Arnold defected to the British," Christopher responded immediately. When her employees gave her a look of surprise, she met their stares and replied, "I read too."

"What else?" Rufus demanded. "Especially about a clockmaker named Rittenhouse?"

Agent Christopher's eyes widened and, in that moment, Rufus knew nothing Flynn had done had changed the present. If Christopher was as surprised as they had been to discover Rittenhouse was a person not just an organization, the clockmaker had been right: others had stepped in and carried on his legacy.

Catching Christopher's eye, Rufus shook his head almost imperceptibly and, within seconds, her face was blank again.

During this time, Jiya had hurried to her workstation and begun typing furiously. "David Rittenhouse was shot on September 25st, 1780. A woman, a man and a slave, all agents of Austin Roe, were accused of the crime."

She looked up from her monitor. "You?"

Rufus nodded. "What about his son…John?"

She scrolled through a few more websites before answering, "Says here he tried to convince everyone someone else did the shooting but no one ever listened. Everyone chalked it up to stress of seeing his father murdered."

"That man was Flynn, wasn't it?" Agent Christopher asked, though it was more a statement than a genuine question.

"It was. What happened to the three who were accused?"

"Only the white man was found about a day later by General Washington's men. They recognized him as one of the defectors from the previous day. His name was recorded as Ben Kenobi." Right then and there, Rufus almost broke out laughing but froze when he saw the serious look on Jiya's face.

"He was sentenced to hang," she stated in a somber tone and there was a brief pause as she quickly read the rest of the page. Finally, a smile broke out over her features. "But he escaped the night before and was never heard from again!"

Rufus's own smile grew to match Jiya's as the knot in his stomach loosened slightly.

"There's more though," the tech continued after the team let out a collective exhale. "Kenobi was going to be hung for defecting alone. It was only after he escaped that he was also implicated in the death of David Rittenhouse, when his description matched the ones the Patriots had sent around."

"Anything else about Ben Kenobi?" Rufus asked. "What he did, where he lived…" he paused briefly before finishing, "how he died?"

Jiya shook her head. "I'd have to dig deeper but there's nothing else in the article, sorry."

"So what does the clever _Star Wars_ reference mean?" Christopher prompted. "I assume he's trying to tell us something."

"It means he'll survive." Rufus then strode down the walkway, stopping only he was at the main bank of desks. "We need to stop Flynn in 1732," he announced, turning slightly in order to address the entire team. "To do that, I'm going to need some help. First, we need to dig out that list of people Wyatt recommended after he got fired, and get one of them over here yesterday." He then turned to face Jiya, "I need you and anyone else you can spare to scrape up everything you can find about April 7th, 1732. I need to know where exactly Flynn is, why he would have gone there and what he's hoping to disrupt. I also need someone else…" Rufus paused to look around then pointed at a blond woman who had raised her hand, "—thank you Sienna—to see what they can find out about Ben Kenobi. Focus on how he was caught or where he might have been kept before he was hanged-anything that can help Lucy and I find him when we go back."

He spun around to see everyone staring at him blankly. "Now!" he shouted but the support staff turned in unison to face Agent Christopher.

"Do what Rufus says," she ordered as she walked over to her own computer station on the Lifeboat's platform and the team scurried into motion.

"Matt Anderson is on a mission," someone shouted from their desk seconds later.

"Dave Baumgardner's available," someone else replied from the other side of the room.

"As is Robbie Pitt," a third chimed in.

"Who's closest?"

There was a few moments of furious typing. "Baumgardner."

"Get him in here," Rufus said as he dropped into his desk chair and booted up his own machine. "The longer we wait, the more history Flynn might be changing without us knowing."

* * *

By the time they had located Baumgardner, brought him to MI and briefed him, three hours had passed. In that timeframe, Rufus had had his head examined by Dr. Bright, been cleared to fly back to rescue Lucy, eaten something for the first time in over a day, drank his weight in coffee and energy drinks, and done as much research as he could about the time period he and Dave was going back to.

The team had pinpointed the Motherboat's location in modern day Philadelphia, specifically the Germantown area, and a quick Google search revealed that the exact coordinates had once been called Rittenhousetown, which been established by David Rittenhouse's grandfather and uncle.

That, combined with the information found in clockmaker David Rittenhouse's biography, made Flynn's intent obvious: he was there to kill the founder in his crib. Literally.

Unfortunately, that wasn't Rufus' worst discovery. Rittenhouse's birthday was April 8th yet Flynn had gone back to April 7th, which meant he'd either left a buffer in case the date was reported wrong, or he was going to kill David's parents, thus ensuring their child never lived. As much as Rufus hated the Rittenhouse organization for what it had done to his family, he wasn't on board with killing its founder's parents, as it wasn't apparent from all his Internet searches whether or not they upheld the same beliefs as their son.

At some point after that discovery, Jiya had appeared carrying a different yet almost identical 1700s outfit and ordered him to take a shower. He'd seen that look on her face too many times to bother arguing and grudgingly accepted the change of clothes.

While he was stripping out of his current outfit in the MI locker room, he had rediscovered the recording device which, in the chaos of the past few hours, had completely slipped his mind; fortunately, in the chaos of being down two agents, Mason hadn't had time to ask about it either. Rufus contemplated whether or not to get rid of it entirely, weighing the consequences of its disappearance against Flynn's possible actions in 1732, before he'd thrown the recorder into a spare locker, choosing to deal with it upon his return.

He had walked back into the bay just as the Lifeboat began to chime happily, signaling it was fully charged. He'd immediately crawled into the pilot's chair and initiated the launch procedure while Baumgardner just stood in the doorway, staring in wonder at the Lifeboat's inner workings.

"So this is the real deal, huh?" the newly christened Time Traveler asked, his voice barely more than an awestruck whisper.

"Yes it is. So we need to get going."

Baumgardner blinked. "Roger that," he replied, hopping quickly into the time machine where he proceeded to stop dead in his tracks. "Any preference on seats?"

Rufus could tell he was trying to be polite, in deference to his absent teammates, but they didn't have time for formalities. "Either," he said as he reached under the dashboard and freed a box from a Velcro strap with one hand.

As Baumgardner dropped into Lucy's seat, Rufus held out the box. "Take one."

"What it is?"

"Dramamine."

Baumgardner nodded and slapped a patch on his arm before handing the box back to Rufus. Without taking one for himself, the pilot just spun back in his chair and secured the box under the dash.

"Now buckle up," Rufus instructed as he initiated the launch procedure. "This ride is going to suck."

* * *

_April 7_ _th_ _, 1732_

Rufus was having a serious sense of déjà vu as he stepped off the Lifeboat into an empty field. They were less than twenty miles from where they'd landed on their last mission…just 48 years earlier.

"You alright?" he asked Baumgardner who had yet to get out of his seat.

"Just…gimme a minute," the Delta Force operative ground out between gritted teeth, his hands going up to rub at his temples.

Rufus bit back a quip about how they didn't have a minute because Lucy was with Flynn doing God-knows-what and they'd left Wyatt in the past/future, since he knew Baumgardner knew how important this all was—Wyatt wouldn't have recommended him if he didn't. It didn't stop Rufus from tapping his foot impatiently in the empty clearing as the other man tried to center himself.

Finally, he heard shuffling behind him and Baumgardner stepped uneasily out of the Lifeboat. "How long 'til all this wears off?" he asked, his hand never leaving the side of the time machine.

"Few more minutes."

His jaw clenched tightly, Baumgardner just nodded. "How are you with a gun?" he then asked, fumbling with his belt for the second Glock he'd taken along.

Rufus' stomach clenched involuntarily as the face of the man he'd killed flashed through his mind but, with a Herculean effort, he forced it away. "Good enough."

Without further questions, Baumgardner handed the weapon over.

It was then that Rufus realized he had no idea what Baumgardner's mission was. "So are you here to kill Flynn, or to rescue Lucy?" he asked, adjusting the gun so it rested more comfortably in his palm. If it came down to it, he could lock Baumgardner in the Lifeboat while he located Lucy: the army man would know better than to try to shoot his way out, as it was their only way home...he hoped.

"Technically both," Baumgardner replied uneasily, "But rescuing Miss Preston is the top priority."

Rufus just nodded as a wave of relief washed over him. "I am so glad to hear that."

Then he palmed the switch to close the Lifeboat door and slid the gun into his waistband. "You ready to go?" he asked, seeing Baumgardner straight up ever so slightly.

The other man nodded. "Let's do this," he replied, motioning for Rufus to lead the way into town.

* * *

The online articles Rufus had read hadn't exaggerated the Rittenhouses' fame: the first person they'd run into had pointed them in the direction of the family home. Upon arrival, Rufus and Dave had peered through the large street-side windows to find Flynn pointing his Glock at a very pregnant woman who was lying on a large bed, clearly in labor. Her husband was being held at gunpoint on the other side of the room along with a midwife, an elderly woman, and Lucy, who even though she was restrained, looked mad enough to be spitting nails.

"Make a distraction," Baumgardner whispered as he crept further down the street to get to the large window on the far side of the room. He poked his gun through the slim opening then held out three fingers, then two, then just one.

"What the hell," Rufus muttered before he raised himself up and yelled "Hey!" at the top of his lungs.

Flynn turned automatically and, the second the gun was pointed away from the pregnant woman, Baumgardner fired, hitting Flynn in the abdomen.

As Rufus ducked down below the sill again, he took aim at Flynn's henchman but, before he could fire, the father-to-be took advantage of the chaos and jumped Flynn's henchman. The two of them crashed to the floor in a tangle, the very modern handgun flying out of the henchman's hand and skittering across the wood.

It had only taken Lucy a moment to spot Rufus before she took off for Rittenhouse's mother, helping her to the door with the elderly woman's assistance. She had the sense of mind to kick the gun away from Flynn, who was lying on the floor, pressing his hands against his bloody side.

"You can't," he gargled as Lucy passed him without offering aid.

"You left us and worse. Besides, I've read your file: you have medical training. You'll be fine."

Since Baumgardner appeared to have the situation covered, Rufus had ran around to the back of the house to help Lucy and the elderly woman with Rittenhouse's mother when shots had peppered the brick behind him.

The elderly woman quickly assumed her daughter's weight and told Rufus and Lucy, in broken English, to leave, quickly...which is how they ended up sprinting down the street, dodging bullets from either angry neighbors or incensed family members believing they had done the Rittenhouse family harm.

"Where's Wyatt?" Lucy demanded as she and Rufus made a sharp right and huddled in the alley two doors down from the Rittenhouse house.

"Can we talk about this when we're out of range?" Rufus shouted back, ducking his head as bullets whistled around them.

Lucy's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. "Is he..."

"No!" Rufus shook his head furiously for emphasis. "He's alive. He's just..."

"Injured?"

"Not exactly."

The historian cleared her throat then softly asked, "He's back in 1780, isn't he?"

"I didn't have a choice," Rufus responded, practically spitting the words for emphasis.

Suddenly, her hand was on his, fingers squeezing slightly. "I believe you," Lucy said, looking him directly in the eye.

"If I may interrupt this heartfelt moment," Baumgardner shouted as he rounded the corner, dropped into a crouch, then returned fire by wrapping his elbow around the brick corner. "We really need to get out of here."

"Who's that?" Lucy immediately questioned.

Rufus saw her reaching for a piece of metal pipe lying in the alley and grabbed her hand, quickly making the necessary introductions.

Lucy's eyes narrowed at Baumgardner's name but in lieu of commenting, she switched subjects. "Where's the Lifeboat?"

"West of town. About a mile and a half from here."

The gunfire paused and Baumgardner used the time to eject the magazine of his service weapon, checking how many rounds he had left.

"Well, get going," he demanded when he looked up and saw they were still here. "I'll lay down some cover fire then follow you. If we get separated, just meet back at the Lifeboat. If I'm not there in twenty, leave without me."

Rufus and Lucy nodded then took off down the alley. Since he had the gun, Rufus led the way, focusing on scanning his surroundings almost compulsively for threats like Wyatt had taught him. Fortunately, they seemed to be ahead of Rittenhouse's family and Anthony or Flynn's henchman were nowhere in sight.

They had just reached the junction in the road when Lucy dug in her heels and careened to a stop. "We have to go back for him!"

"Who, Baumgardner?" Rufus grabbed Lucy's arm and tried to pull her forward. "He's right behind us."

Lucy crouched slightly, twisted and pulled her arm free. "No, Flynn."

Rufus stared at her blankly for a moment, until he could get his mouth working again. "Hell. No. He left us _to die_ in 1754."

"So we know how it feels. He doesn't deserve to die back here. It's not right."

As conflicted as Rufus felt about the person in question, he was glad to see this side of Lucy make a reappearance. He had been shocked when she'd coldly denied him aid but hadn't been in a position to object. Besides, as his anger dialed down, he slowly began to agree that leaving Flynn to die a horribly bloody death in a time without decent medicine was wrong, despite all the strife the man had put them through.

He took a deep breath then ground out, "Fine."

Lucy just nodded, picked up her skirts and spun around to head back toward the Rittenhouse home. They'd barely taken a step before the gunfire ceased and they heard approaching footfalls from the other direction.

Rufus whirled around, forced Lucy behind him and thumbed the safety off his handgun before realizing the newcomer was only Baumgardner.

"They're either reloading, or they realized we weren't at fault," the Delta Force operative ordered, motioning with his hand for them to keep going.

Lucy shook her head. "We need to go back for Flynn."

Baumgardner stared at her in disbelief for a split second before he recovered. "He's fine. I saw his man helping him out of the building."

Lucy looked slightly relieved which, for some reason, only served to anger Dave more. "Look he's still breathing alright? But right now I'm more worried about us getting out of here before whoever was firing at us changes their mind. So let's go."

He grabbed both their arms and led them forcibly down the connecting alley. With the news that Flynn was alive though, both he and Lucy went fairly easily and, a few steps later, Baumgardner released them both.

It was only when they'd reached the main street that Baumgardner spoke again. "Walk, don't run. Look casual, like you belong here," he instructed, never breaking stride. He then threw his right arm around Lucy, who instinctively flinched but quickly relaxed into it, while his other hand remained at the small of his back, ready to draw his handgun if needed.

"Take off anything you can," Baumgardner continued a block later, he himself shedding his vest and motioning for Rufus to do the same. In unison they then untucked their shirts to hide their concealed weapons. Lucy unfortunately couldn't do much but steal a sheet off a clothesline and wrap it around herself like a cape before sliding back into Baumgardner's embrace.

"So what changed?" she asked as they hit the edge of town. Her tone was a touch too tense to be mistaken as causal but Rufus appreciated the effort and ran with it.

"Surprisingly, not much. History was never my strong suit but it seems to be as I remembered it. Our version of things, that is. You'll probably need to take a look at it though to be sure."

"Is Amy…?"

Rufus shook his head. "Sorry Luce."

She inhaled sharply through her teeth then asked, "Jessica?" in almost a whisper.

"No."

Lucy huffed out a humorless laugh. "I can't decide if I'm happy or sad that nothing's changed."

"We'll get her back," Rufus promised, surprising himself with the ferocity of his tone. "Even if the three of us have to take a page from _Back To The Future_ to do so."

Lucy smiled softly but, before she could reply, Baumgardner cut in. "Look alive people. Lifeboat is less than a hundred yards away, across an open clearing. The situation requires your full attention."

They both nodded and refocused on their mission of getting everyone home in one piece. Thankfully though, they met no other resistance and were back on the Lifeboat moments later.

"Where we're going, we don't need roads," Rufus quipped as he flipped the power switch and the time machine hummed to life.

As thrilled as he was that they were going home, he would have been happier if the entire team were there and he never had to come back to any year of the 1700s. Unfortunately, he and one other time traveller had one more mission yet today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'd love to know what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

"Lucy," Agent Christopher breathed in relief as the historian hiked up her skirts and climbed out of the Lifeboat.

"Any news on Wyatt?" she demanded without preamble.

"No, nothing yet. What happened to Flynn?"

"Baumgardner shot him," Rufus reported aso he stepped into the landing bay.

"Killed him?"

"No, ma'am." Baumgardner leaned forward slightly so his head was in the doorway but didn't actually move from his seat. "He and his man made it out while the Rittenhouses were shooting at us." He paused to swallow hard, his Adam's apple working furiously as he fought off what the time team recognized as a bout of nausea. "But it's a serious wound—he'll be out for a few days, giving us a chance to go save Wyatt."

Lucy turned back to Agent Christopher. "So when can we leave?"

"Four hours," Jiya spoke up from the bank of computers.

"Four hours!"

"That's how long it takes the Lifeboat to charge, sans nuclear reactor," the technician continued, undeterred by the furious expression on Lucy's face.

Rufus walked over to stand beside Lucy, close enough that they brushed shoulders. "Remember we can go back to a few minutes after I left from any point in our current history. The time we wait here, especially since Flynn is down for the count, is almost irrelevant."

Lucy glanced over at him but still didn't look quite relieved.

"Now before we send you on your way, there's something we need to discuss." Agent Christopher walked over to Lucy and Rufus and stood facing them, hands clasped behind her back. "Who is going back for Master Sergeant Logan?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Lifeboat only seats three..." she began but Rufus, who had been preparing for this very conversation, interjected, "...so only two of us can go if we want space for Wyatt on the way back." He shrugged. "And I have to go."

Lucy's face fractured as she looked back into the Lifeboat at the queasy Baumgardner. As much as she wanted to go back and save Wyatt herself, to make up for the many times he'd done the same for her, she knew Baumgardner was the better option, especially since the situation was bad enough where Wyatt had had to stay behind to ensure Rufus escaped. It wasn't really a decision but she recognized that Christopher was offering to her in deference.

"I'll stay behind," she stated, the words tasting like vinegar as they left her lips.

Agent Christopher just nodded. "After you've changed, Lucy, we'd like to debrief you about your time with Flynn; you might be able to give us some insight into what he's planning next."

Lucy recognized this for what it was: a distraction. And she couldn't have been more grateful. "Sure. Can I have an hour though? There are some things I need to check on."

Christopher nodded again then turned to face the Lifeboat. "You alright, Sergeant Baumgardner?"

The Delta Force operative pushed himself shakily to his feet. "Never better, ma'am," he said, though his face was white as a sheet.

"Go get checked out by Dr. Bright. It's SOP after each trip. Then meet back here for your own debrief."

"Yes, ma'am," he grunted as he slowly levered himself out of the time machine.

"And you, Rufus," Christopher turned to face the pilot. "Mr. Mason is looking for you."

Lucy turned to her teammate, instantly concerned, but to her surprise, Rufus just grinned widely. "I'm on my way," he said, shooting Lucy a thumbs up behind Christopher's back.

Slightly confused, she just nodded then followed the pilot to the mezzanine where she sat down at a computer without a name badge attached to it. As the support staff hurried into motion around her, Lucy pulled up the internet and began looking through historical timelines to determine just what damage Flynn had done by killing David Rittenhouse.

* * *

_September 26, 1780_

"You _lied_ ," Baumgardner groaned as the Lifeboat blipped into existence, just moments after Rufus had left the first time. "This still sucks."

"But it does get easier," Rufus replied as he began powering down the machine. When he was done, he spun around in his chair and waited for Baumgardner to move. It took the soldier a considerable length of time before he was on his feet but it was much faster than the last two landings.

Rufus had just palmed the button to open the Lifeboat door when Baumgardner's hand landed on his shoulder.

"You stay here," he told Rufus as he hopped outside the Lifeboat and drew his weapon, only swaying slightly.

"The hell I will!" Rufus lifted his leg like he was going to step over the raised metal sill but Baumgardner stepped closer to the Lifeboat, giving the pilot no space to actually dismount.

"From what you told me, we're up against an army, of unknown position, but that was extremely close," he hissed in a hushed tone. "They're armed and we're extremely outnumbered. We can't risk you getting injured or worse, taken, because then none of us get home. You've only been gone for a few minutes so Wyatt can't be far. I'll find him, bring him back, you get us out of here."

As much as Rufus hated to admit it, the argument made a certain amount of sense. "Fine," he ground out as he sat down in the Lifeboat less than an arm's reach from the door. He then reached for the small of his back and produced a weapon of his own. "But I'll cover you from here."

Baumgardner spared Rufus a quick smile before crouching down, his dark clothes almost blending into the ground in the early morning sunlight. "Which way?"

Rufus pointed to his right and, without another word, the soldier was gone.

* * *

Wyatt dove to the ground behind a sturdy tree as the Patriots opened fire in his general direction. Though he still had ammunition, he waited the first round out, trying to determine exactly where the shooters were. When the hail had died down so the men to reload, Wyatt reached around the tree and returned fire with the antiquated pistol. There was a loud cry of pain and, while the Patriots were otherwise distracted, Wyatt quickly exchanged the pistol for the rifle and chambered a round.

He was fairly protected in his current position but he knew wouldn't have the advantage for much longer, especially when the sun was fully up. The Patriots knew this area much better than he did, including any places he could hide. That combined with his dwindling amount of ammunition meant he needed to get out of the woods and into a more secure hiding place until Rufus came back for him. He remembered from an old-fashioned map at Arnold's house that there was another town around here. He'd try there for the moment.

Wyatt emptied the rifle and the extra rounds at the Patriots before sprinting off down the road. There was yelling behind him followed by the sounds of horses breaking into runs. He didn't look back though, his eyes never leaving the uneven terrain ahead of him.

Then a bullet clipped the ground next to his right heel. In a different circumstance, he'd have easily stepped to the side and kept running but hunger and sleep deprivation slowed his reflexes. He stepped left with relative ease but didn't notice the large root until his foot caught on it and he crashed to the ground.

For a moment, he couldn't breathe, couldn't think. All he knew was that his lungs were frozen, there was white-hot pain shooting up his leg, and his brain was screaming at him to get up.

Suddenly he could breathe again and he tried to push himself to his hands and knees but something hard slammed into his back, stealing what little air he'd managed to regain.

As black darkened the edges of his vision, Wyatt struggled to remain conscious, only barely feeling the hands on him, pressing his head into the dirt, yanking his hands behind his back, pulling his Glock from his waistband.

His survival instinct kicked in with his first unrestricted breath and he began to thrash against the men holding him. He kicked out and connected with something bone-hard but then something warm and circular pressed against the back of his neck. Adrenaline took the blur off his senses in a second flat and he froze as he recognized the shape as the barrel of a gun.

"Not so fast traitor!" one of the men called before a large glob of spit landed in the dirt, inches from his nose.

"Get him up," the same man ordered and Wyatt was roughly hauled to his feet. He tried distributing his weight evenly but his left ankle vehemently opposed so he stood with a majority of weight on his right leg, his left foot barely resting on the ground for balance. The change in position cleared his vision and his scan of his surroundings revealed seven men surrounding him: two directly behind him tightly gripping his elbows, one directly in front of him (most likely the guy in charge) and four more spread out in a semi-circle.

"What an interesting weapon," the man in front of him said, looking at the Glock in wonder. "Wherever did you get it..." He then paused and looked toward Wyatt, obviously waiting for him to fill in his name, but the soldier didn't respond.

The man in charge nodded at the man to his right, who flipped his rifle around and drove the grip into Wyatt's abdomen. His hard-earned breath whooshed out of his lungs and he doubled in half, going lax against the people holding him up. He knew better than to show weakness though and, as soon as he could consciously move, he had his right foot back under him and was straightening up again, glaring at the man in front of him.

The man stepped closer and grabbed Wyatt's chin, remaining fingers wrapping around his throat. "You will answer me when I talk to you, son. What. Is. Your. Name?"

"Ben Kenobi," Wyatt ground out, deciding it was better to play the part for now, until a better opportunity made itself known.

"And what did you tell the British, Ben Kenobi? Did you tell them about West Point, where our armory is, what our plans are?"

"No."

The man's eyes flashed cruelly but, before he could act, Wyatt added, "Didn't get a chance. Arnold told most of it already."

"So what are you doing back here?"

Wyatt made himself shrug. "Wasn't of use over there. Sure not going to be welcomed back here. Trying to go elsewhere."

The man stared at Wyatt for another moment, then released his jaw and took a step backward. "Let's take him to Washington."

Before anyone could move though, a cry rang out through the woods: "Duck, sheriff!"

Wyatt reacted on instinct, throwing himself to the ground before his brain even recognized the voice.

There were seven light pops and the Patriots looked around in confusion, one or two yelping in pain. It was then Wyatt saw the small dart sticking out of one of their necks. He dug his elbow into the ground and kicked out with his right leg, sweeping the four closest men's legs out from under them. The other three wavered dazedly then collapsed to the ground of their own volition.

"What the hell are you doing here, Bam-Bam?" Wyatt hissed as he sat up straight, lifted his hips and slid his bound wrists under him so his hands were now in front of him. He then grabbed his Glock which had fallen within reach and got to his feet, training it on the semi-conscious men in front of him.

Sergeant Dave Baumgardner rose from a behind a thick shrub. "Rescuing your damsel ass." He then slung the tranq gun onto his back and exchanged it for a modern S&W from a period-inappropriate side holster. He walked over and began pulling darts from the men's necks and kicking away their weapons while Wyatt covered him.

"Where's Lucy?" the soldier asked, the minute Baumgardner was done confirming all the men were unconscious.

"She's back in the present, safe at Mason Industries."

"And Rufus?"

"Waiting in the Lifeboat."

"Flynn?"

"Gut shot. Still alive but he'll be out of commission for a while."

Wyatt grinned and held out his bound wrists. "Well done, Bam-Bam."

"Stop callin' me that," Baumgardner snapped as he flicked open a pocketknife and cut his friend free.

Baumgardner then motioned off to his left and the two Delta Force operatives took off for the Lifeboat. Wyatt's ankle screamed in protest at the quick movements but he blocked it out as best he could and kept moving forward.

"You alright, Sheriff?" Dave asked, not long after.

"Twisted my ankle pretty bad but I'll live."

Baumgardner looked over at him, an impish expression on his face. "You know you're the one who taught me to watch where I was stepping so I don't trip, fall and get captured."

"This is the part where you do as I say and not as I do," Wyatt retorted as he hobbled off the path and grabbed a large branch he proceeded to use as a walking stick.

Bam-Bam wisely kept any additional comments to himself.

Not long after that, they approached the clearing where the Lifeboat had landed the first time. Through the trees, Wyatt could see the open door to the Lifeboat, Rufus' head occasionally poking out of it as he swung his weapon around.

"Don't shoot!" he called out as he hobbled into the clearing, the hand not grasping the branch raised in the air.

"Thank God." Rufus waited until they were closer before hopping out of the time machine and giving Wyatt a quick hug. "I know, I know," he said, before either soldier could comment. "We're on the clock, back to the present, I just had to...you know." He climbed back into the machine, covering the soldiers while Wyatt awkwardly hopped in.

Once Baumgardner was on board and the door had slid closed, something collided with Wyatt's shoulder, not terribly hard but with enough force to sway him on his feet. He looked to his right and saw Rufus shaking out his fist, mouthing "Ow!"

"Did you just _punch_ me?" Wyatt asked incredulously.

"Yeah." Rufus straightened up and fixed Wyatt with his most disapproving stare. "Don't _ever_ make me do that again. If I weren't the only pilot, the rest of the team would have murdered me at least six times over."

Wyatt snorted as he dropped into his seat and began fastening his harness. "If it makes you feel better Rufus, I honestly hope you never have to."

"Then we're in agreement." With that, Rufus sat his own chair and began preparing the time machine for take-off.

* * *

The wait was killing Lucy.

Each minute that passed was torture because she knew she'd have no idea if anything was changing. She tried recalling major events constantly, as if keeping them in her short term memory would somehow keep them from being forgotten, but, in the end, she forced himself to give up, knowing she'd drive herself crazy if she continued.

"Is it always like this?" she asked Jiya who didn't seem the least bit concerned by what must have been happening.

The technician stopped typing and looked over at Lucy. "You're referring to the crippling feeling of helplessness and the fact that you wouldn't know if everything around you had changed, that the people you knew might be gone and replaced with others that you still know, but that one of you has to tell us that we shouldn't know?"

Lucy nodded.

"Every mission." Jiya spun around in her chair so she was facing Lucy. "That's why I'm hoping to do more. Just sitting here, _waiting_ , is killing me."

"The 'actually doing something' part isn't all that great either," Lucy replied as she sat back down next to Jiya. She had just pulled another historical website when the plastic pinwheel began to spin.

"Incoming!" Jiya called, throwing her keyboard down over some loose papers.

Lucy sprang to her feet and ran down the walkway. At the last moment, she was caught by Jiya and pressed against the railing so she wouldn't be blown over as the Lifeboat appeared.

She nodded her thanks then sprinted toward the time machine, climbed up the portable stairs and pounded on the door. "Wyatt? Rufus?"

"Lucy!"

The door slid open and Wyatt stumbled onto the platform. Lucy had less than a second to examine him, looking for any injuries, before she found herself pulled into a strong hug.

"You're okay!" he breathed right next to her ear, the sound warming Lucy all the way to her core.

"So are you!"

They were interrupted by a rousing round of applause from behind them.

"Welcome back!" someone shouted at the same time someone else yelled, "Well done, team!"

Scowling deeply, Wyatt stepped out of the hug but then reached back out and ran his hand up and down Lucy's arm, as if reassuring himself she was actually there. He then reached back into the Lifeboat and hauled Rufus and Baumgardner out, raising one of their arms into the air in a _Rocky_ -esque pose. The cheering increased exponentially but, while Rufus seemed to be soaking it in and Baumgardner was in no position to move judging by the way he clung to the side of the Lifeboat for balance, Wyatt was quickly hobbling down the stairs, leaning heavily on the railing.

It took Lucy a split second to realize he was gone before she trailed after him. "What happened to your ankle?" she asked as they hit the main floor and were swarmed by support staff, touting how good it was to have him back. Seemingly ignoring her question, Wyatt didn't stop though until he'd reached the mezzanine and had dropped behind a computer.

Lucy knew what he was doing and didn't stop him, even though she already knew the answer. After a moment, his face fell briefly before he schooled a neutral expression back onto it.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, reaching out and laying a hand on his shoulder.

Before he could respond, someone walked over and stood beside Lucy.

"Master Sergeant Logan," Agent Christopher said.

Wyatt launched himself to his feet, spine lengthening and hands clasped behind his back.

"There's no need for all that," the agent chided. When Wyatt had relaxed slightly, she continued, "I'd like to debrief you as soon as possible. I've already heard Rufus' account and, while I believe him wholeheartedly, my bosses still don't believe that leaving you was an appropriate course of action."

"Rufus left on my orders," Wyatt stated, his blue eyes flashing in response to the perceived challenge.

"I understand that, Wyatt. They just need to hear your side of it."

"Is now good?" Wyatt didn't wait for an answer before he began hobbling toward Christopher's office. "Great. Let's get this cleared up as quickly as possible."

As soon as he was out of earshot, Lucy turned to Agent Christopher, who immediately held up her hand. "I promise I will send him straight to medical as soon as he's done giving his statement."

"Thank you." Then Lucy turned back around and walked over to the bottom of the platform where Rufus and Baumgardner were still in the middle of a crowd of technicians. She pushed her way through the support team and stood next to the other time travelers.

"This is really late but..." She wrapped her arms around Rufus and pulled him into a hug. "Thanks for coming to get me."

Rufus immediately returned the embrace. "Any time, Lucy."

"And you too, Sergeant Baumgardner," she added over Rufus' shoulder.

"Just doing my job, ma'am," the soldier replied as he finally let go of the side of the Lifeboat.

Lucy wanted to correct his use of _ma'am_ as she had done for Wyatt but before she could, Baumgardner groaned and grabbed at the railing again, his face turning an appalling shade of white. Her expression softened and held out her hand to the soldier. "C'mon Sergeant. Let's take you to Dr. Bright."

* * *

When Wyatt stepped out of the examination room ninety minutes later, relying heavily on a cane Dr. Bright had found for him, Dave Baumgardner was sitting in the hallway, an anti-nausea patch on his bicep and a bottle of Gatorade dangling from his fingers.

"You're one crazy SOB, Sheriff," Baumgardner said, immediately rising (somewhat shakily) to his feet.

"Look who's talking, Bam-Bam." Wyatt took his friend's outstretched hand and pulled him into an embrace.

"How's your ankle?" Baumgardner asked as they pulled away, looking down at the air cast Wyatt had been fitted with.

Wyatt just shrugged. "Not broken, nothing's torn. So it'll be fine."

Baumgardner motioned to the cane. "How long does she think you're actually going to use that?"

"Optimistically, a week," Dr. Bright responded as she stepped out of the med bay, a thick file in hand. "Realistically, a few days."

"She knows you, Sheriff."

Wyatt scowled lightheartedly at Dr. Bright, who tilted her head and smiled widely. "That's why they pay me the big bucks." She then turned and quickly walked down the hallway to her office. "You take care of yourselves, _both of you_ ," she shouted over her shoulder.

"Yes, ma'am," the soldiers responded in unison.

Baumgardner waited until he heard the door to her office click closed before turning to face Wyatt. "So time travelling…"

Wyatt smiled crookedly. "Yeah."

"No wonder you didn't want to come back."

"I gotta finish this job first—stop Flynn from changing history and all that."

"I don't know how you do it, man. The whole time I was back there, I was afraid I was going to say or do something that would completely change our reality."

"That why you brought the tranq gun?"

Baumgardner nodded. "Couldn't shake the feeling I was going to kill the father of someone famous...or worse—my own great-great-grandfather."

"That's actually not a bad idea."

Baumgardner snorted. "Thanks for the ringing endorsement."

"So what are you going to do now?" Wyatt asked as he limped down the hallway back to the locker rooms, motioning for his friend to follow.

"Go back to my normal Delta Force work, I guess. Try to not think about the amazing shit you're getting up to. They made me sign an NDA which totally blows….what?" he asked, seeing Wyatt's grin widen until it practically split his face in two.

"Since you're all NDA-ified, I can finally tell someone this. You know that Bond film, _Weapon of Choice_?"

"Yeah." But Wyatt didn't respond, waiting silently for Dave to catch his meaning.

After a split second, Baumgardner's jaw dropped open. "That was about you!?"

"Our fourth mission. Pretty cool right?"

"You met Ian Flemming!" Baumgardner shook his head in disbelief. "That just...so _unfair_."

"I know!" Wyatt replied, practically vibrating with excitement, even after all the time that had passed.

When they reached the locker rooms, he turned back to Baumgardner who was already dressed.

"Thanks for coming back for me."

Dave shrugged. "You would have done the same for me. In fact..." he paused, hand going to rub at his chin in exaggerated contemplation, "...you have."

"Still. I owe you one."

Baumgardner shook his head. "No way. Not after all we've been through." He paused again. "If you really want to make it up to me, show your face a little more. The guys miss you. We haven't had a proper night out in ages."

Wyatt grinned. "I can do that."

Baumgardner then held out his hand and Wyatt shook before they exchanged another hug.

"It's good seeing you, Sheriff."

"You too, Bam-Bam."

As Baumgardner headed toward the employee entrance, Wyatt turned back to the locker room doors.

"Sheriff, huh?"

He spun around at the sound of Lucy's voice. "Yeah, old army nickname. Wyatt Earp. Original right?"

She shrugged. "It's better than Bam-Bam."

"That it is," Wyatt responded with a grin. He then looked over at Lucy, his expression immediately sobering. "I never got a chance to ask you, you're okay right? Flynn didn't hurt you?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, we went straight back to 1732 to try to kill Rittenhouses' parents. Rufus and Baumgardner showed up not long after."

"Glad to hear it," he said, reaching out and laying his hand on her upper arm.

Before she could respond, Rufus stepped into the hallway. "Great, you're free. Let's go out!"

Lucy and Wyatt looked like they wanted to protest but Rufus shook his head. "It doesn't have to be drinks, we can just go get food." He walked over and threw his arms over their shoulders. "It's about the recordings," he whispered, barely audible. "I solved our problem."

Wyatt looked over at Lucy then said loudly, "Dinner sounds great."

She smiled before adding, "I'm in."

"Give me five to get changed." Wyatt limped into the locker room and changed out of the 1700s clothes as quickly as he could. After folding the outfit neatly for whoever handled that sort of stuff, he reached for his wallet, phone and keys. He automatically hit the side button of his phone for notifications and was surprised to see a missed call and a voicemail from an unknown number. That in itself was odd considering his number was unlisted and he saved the numbers of the few people who did have it.

He considered listening to it but was interrupted by Rufus banging on the door. "My clothes are going out of style!"

"Hold your horses. I'm coming," Wyatt groused, giving his phone one last glance before sliding it into his pocket and grabbing at his cane.

It was probably advertising: a randomly generated number for some entry-level college student. Still, he'd listen to the message later, on the off-chance it was something important.

For now though, he was off to dinner with his team to hear about Rufus' good news and to celebrate having all three of them back in the present, unharmed.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we come full circle with the end of Episode 11.
> 
> Thanks for joining me on my canon-divergent adventure! I'd love to know what you thought on your way out!
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> usa123
> 
> (I'm on [Tumblr](http://usaonetwothree.tumblr.com)!)

**Author's Note:**

> This fic should be 3 chapters in total, all of which are already outlined. Unfortunately, there is no way I'll be able to get this entire story completely finished before episode 11 airs on Monday but I needed to post at least the first chapter before it gets Kripke'd.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I'd love to know what you thought!


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